COMMUNITY FORUM

White powder on floor joists?

I own a house in North Alabama that I am about to put on the market to sell. This is a brick home that is 6.5 years old.

A potential buyer crawled under this house and found a white powdery substance on some of the floor joists. The powder scrapes right off, and there appears to be no damage to the joists.

This house has been rented for the last 3 years, and I am most certain that the vents have not been open under the house for these 3 years.

Several people (including a termite inspector) have speculated that since the vents have not been open, and it was a very wet fall in our region that it is likely that some moisture got under the house and turned to mildew. The ground under the house is currently dry, and plastic is down as well.

Upon talking to a neighbor, he has found some of this powder and as well, and he speculated the same as the termite inspector.

My First Question: Should I be worried about this?

I am hoping that my leaving the vents open that it will clear itself up.

My Second Question: What are my other options for getting rid of this stuff, if it poses some kind of problem?

It probably is some sort of mold or fungus. Get a garden sprayer and mix up a 10% clorox/water to spray to be sure ti is killed. Then after it dries, purchase Boracare ( might need to Google to buy online) to mix and spray on all the wood surfaces under there. Boron is a safe, inert element that impedes growth of these microbiol parasites and will also kill many of the isects that feast on wood. it is safe around all mammals so is OK around pets and people.